Living with her mother Morna Aitken, her partner Neil Mumme, and her brother Brad Aitken, age eight, was where Renee did her m*ssing. Neil claimed that Renee and Brad were well cared for, attending school, and that their families loved them dearly. Renee was a self-assured young girl who adored eating crushed ice.
Disappearance
Renee was abducted from her home in Narooma, New South Wales, on February 16, 1984. The family ate fish and chips at the beach that day and then went back to their apartment as usual. Renee was last seen in her bed at 11:15 p.m. Her older brother, who slept through her disappearance, shared a room with her. Brad noticed his blanket had been tucked under his knees when he later woke up that night. He went to Renee’s bed to feel better because he thought this was strange, but she wasn’t there. Being young, Brad opted to search the house alone rather than wake up his mother, Morna. When he noticed the back door was open, he became concerned. At 4:45 A.M., he woke up Morna and Neil and told them Renee was m*ssing.
As Neil tried to search the area, Morna called the police and reported that her daughter was molesting her. There has been no sign of Renee despite intensive police efforts and three thorough land searches.
Investigation of Case
When the police learned of Renee’s disappearance, they acted right away. It was alarming enough that a five-year-old was having sex, but the fact that it was a young White child in a nice suburban neighborhood on a stormy night raised even more questions.
A search party of 60 volunteers began scouring the Narooma region for any signs of Renee. More people joined the search as time went on. On February 18, a police helicopter, a tracker dog, and the Miranda-based regional crime squad all joined them. With a duration of more than 14 days and the participation of more than 200 searchers, this search rank among the biggest in Narooma’s history. They searched every house in the Narooma area, the surrounding bush, and the inland waterways. They worked hard, but there was no success. Even the Aitken house was thoroughly investigated, but the search ended in a failure. When Renee vanished, the house’s door was left open, allowing anyone to enter.Her bed was neat, showing no signs of a struggle between Renee and a potential a*ductor.
On February 19th, 1984, the police reported that they had reason to believe Renee had been abducted from Narooma while someone pretended to be a relative. Police were alerted to a possible sighting on February 17, the day she was reported to be m*ssing. Three different witnesses identified the man as being about 170 cm tall, between the ages of 32 and 35, with sandy-colored hair and a big nose. He was spotted in the Bega region, about an hour’s drive from Narooma. Shopping with a young girl who closely resembled Renee was the man, who was seen donning light-colored pants and a fawn shirt. The girl seemed to be helping him choose the clothing when they went shopping for matching outfits. It’s uncertain if this was indeed Renee.
Morna Aitken, Renee’s mother, and Neil Mumme, her fiancé, made a sincere appeal to Renee’s abductor on February 22nd, 1984, pleading with him or her to call the police and reveal Renee’s location.
Two further in-depth searches were carried out over the following two months. One concentrated on the cliffs and bushland near Narooma, while the other went after a region between Central Tilba and Dignams Creek because of reports of an odd smell. Despite these efforts, Renee’s remains or any proof were never discovered.
Less than two months after Renee vanished, New South Wales approved a $50,000 reward for anyone with information leading to her location. It was emphasized by Detective Sergeant Ted Freeman of Batemans Bay that the details could be disclosed secretly or anonymously. Renee Aitken’s case eventually went cold despite the reward and efforts because no fresh information was found.
Suspect
Renee’s disappearance is being investigated as a possible sex offender, Brian James Fitzpatrick. Bonnie Aitken, Renee’s maternal aunt, her boyfriend, and her employer were on a fishing trip in Narooma at the time she went m*ssing. That evening, Fitzpatrick, who had joined the fishing trip, went to Morna’s apartment to get some blankets. After seeing the apartment, he allegedly spent some time driving around Narooma before going to the beach to swim and enjoy some music. Bonnie, however, has doubts about his account because Fitzpatrick was a known shark phobic who wouldn’t typically swim. Bonnie expressed regret and accepted blame for bringing Fitzpatrick into Renee’s life.
Fitzpatrick committed suicide in 2003. It’s crucial to note that this took place after he had been legally compelled to give a statement at an inquest into Renee’s disappearance.
Michael Guider, who was found guilty of murdering Samantha Knight when she was nine years old in a 1986 case, is another person of interest. He is regarded as a suspect in Renee’s case as well. Guider, who went by the name “Renee,” created sketches of a young child while he was imprisoned that bore striking resemblance to Renee Aitken. Additionally, it was discovered that he had collections of newspaper clippings related to Renee’s disappearance.
Further developments
Australian authorities received a call from a woman in America who claimed to be Renee in the winter of 2001 or 2002. She was searching for her biological family after being adopted. She found a photo of Renee while conducting her own research and saw a similarity. Her DNA was compared to Morna’s, but the results revealed that they weren’t a match.
